[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Crimson Peak (2015)

Guillermo del Toro's Gothic horror tale is an absolute gem. A hauntingly beautiful tale that's a treat for the eyes from the gorgeous costumes to the stunning Gothic decaying house at Crimson Peak itself.

Superbly acted by Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska as the nattily titled Edith Cushing, the story as with many in the Gothic genre is part doomed romance part supernatural horror and it's in these parts where i find my only grumbles. Firstly i don't like Wasikowska, i don't find her attractive or appealing as a love interest, in fact it looked as if she'd wandered straight from the set of Alice in Wonderland, so wasn't quite so rooting for her as i should have been, even though her acting convinced, and the CGI ghosts which admittedly weren't on screen all that much were really poorly rendered and not the least bit scary.

The film certainly gained marks for it's atmosphere which i liken to that of Sleepy Hollow (1999) and it's occasional sequences of shocking violence which turned Crimson Peak into a dark love story with a surreal other worldly atmosphere rather than a Gothic romance.